August ruff



Fig. Il. Fig. VII is detail UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST RUFF, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO JACOB GRIM AND HENRY POLST, BO'llI OF SAME PLACE.

lNsTRuMENT Fon HANDLING BOTTLES, stef SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.461,805, dated October 20, 1891.

Application filed March 3, 1891. i Serial No. 383.5510. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- v

- Be it known that I, AUGUST-RUFF, of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Instruments for Handling Bottles, Gans, &c., of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings; forming part of this specification.

rlhis instrument is forA the purpose of reaching bottles, cans, &c., to or from an elevated position. 'lothis end itv hasla pair of spring-jaws at the end of a long handle, wit-h the described means of opening the jaws.

Figures I and II are horizontal sections taken at I Il, Figs. IV and V, showing Vthe jaws, respectively, closed and open; Fig. III4 is a transverse vertical section taken atI'II III, Fig. I, showing the jaws closed. Fig. IV is a side elevation with a large part of the handle or staff and of the connecting-rod removed. Fig. V is a rear elevation of; the head. Fig. VI is a detail section taken at VI VI, rear elevation showing a modification.

1 .is the stati, which may be of any suitable length.

2 is a head-plate.v j f;

3 are tw o jaws opening and closing on pivots 4, screwed into the head-plate 2er otherwise connected to it. The outer parts 3a of the jaws are of such form as to securely grasp any article it is intendedto handl-In,the present case they are shown 'curvcdjff' y"the handling of bottles, cans, and jars.y The extreme ends 3" are preferably made to loosely interlock, as shown in Figs. I and IV, so as to give mutual support to each other when closed. The concave inner side of the parts 3 are lcushioned with cushions 3, of indiarubber or other yielding or elastic material.

The heels 3d of the jaws have upon the innery sides studs 5, that enter the ends of a spiral spring 6, by whose extension the'heels are forced apart and the' active ends of the jaws forced togetheras seen in Fig. I, or u'pon the object between the jaws, thc pressure of the jaws being sufficient to sustain the object.

7 are ears, which are pivoted to the jaws at 8 and to which are pivoted at 9 the ends of the toggle-links 10, the other ends of the links being pivoted at 11 to a vertically-slidingbar 12, working through-the vhead-plate 2. 'The Vpivot 11 works in the vertical slot of a guidestandard 13, so as to prevent the transverse vswayingof the slide-bar. At the top'of the slide-bar is a knob 14, on which the hand Yis; pressed to force the-bar down and open the may be opened either by downward pressure on `the end of the lever 17 or upon the knob 14. The jaws are opened both in taking hold of the object (at which time the device or instrumentis of course in its elevated position) by actuating the lever 17 and in releasing the object (atwhich` time the device is in its lowered position) by actuating the knob 4.- Itis preferred that the partr of the jaws in front of the-pivots 4 should incline upward, as seen in Fig.` IV; but this is not essential.

I have described the jaws i3 as being closed by a spring 6 and opened by the togglefarms 4.' Itis quite obvious that this may be reversed, the spring being usedl to open the jaws and the toggle to close them. (See Fig. VII, where 6 is a draw-spring and the togglearms 4 extend downward to the rod 16, so that the downward movement of the lever 17 'will close the jaws, the head being inverted.)

I claim as my invention- -1. The combination of the staff and its head, the. spring-pressed jaws pivoted to the.

head, the toggle-levers connected to said jaws and having their plane of movement at approximate right anglcsto that of said jaws, the slide connected tosaid toggle-levers to provide for the actuation of said jaws when the device is lowered with the clamped article, and means for actuating said slide from the' ground when the device is elevated, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the stai and' its head, the spring-pressed jaws pivoted to said head, the toggle-levers connected to said jaws and having their plane of movementat approximate right angles to that of the movement ofsaid jaws',and the slide connected to said toggle-levers 'and passing through said ICO head,m1d means fox' actuating` said slide from the ground when the device is elevated, sul)- stnntinlly :is described.

3. The combination ot' the statt and its heed, the spring-pressed jaws pivoted to the head, the toggle-levers connected to said jaws and having their plane of movement at apploxninteright eng'les'to that ol said jaws, the slide Connected to seid toggle-levers and passing through said heed,tl1e rod connected to Said` slide, and the handlevei Connected to seid rod, snbstfultiellyy as set forth.

4. The combination of thestnf Lthe lieadplate 2, with slotted standard 13, the slidebar l2, the jaws 3, fuleinnied to the llendplate, the toggle-links 10, pvoted to the jews and connected to the slide-lim' by L pivot workingr in the slot ofthe Stnndni'd lil, and the Spring G, forcing the jaws together, nfnd m eerie for actuating said slide from the'gr'ou nd when the device is elevated, substantially as set forth.

5. The eombinntion ol. the steif l,the bend-- plate 2, with slotted standard 13, the slidebm 12, the jaws 3, pi'ovided with the Gush'- ions 3 and fnlernmed to the heed-plate, the toggle-links 10, pivoted to the jaws and connected to the slide-lmr by a. pivot Working in the slot of the stzmdm'd 13, and the spring 

